New-Stimulus Talk Helps Buoy Stocks

Updated from 1:33 p.m. EDT

U.S. stocks were staying positive Monday afternoon as credit markets continued to thaw and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cautiously endorsed the idea of a new economic stimulus package.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 245 points at 9097, and the S&P 500 added 27 points to 968. The Nasdaq climbed 28 points to 1741.

Helping spur the averages higher was a weekend announcement from President Bush that he would convene global leaders to continue to work on solutions to the credit crunch, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. ...